March 2011
Why do we die? City of Cincinnati Mortality Data Project Summary
Noble Maseru, Ph. D., MPH, Cincinnati Health Commissioner
Camille Jones, MD, MPH, Assistant Health Commissioner
*from the collection of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County
Index
Page 1 Executive Summary
Page 4 Cincinnati Map—Age Adjusted Mortality Rates by Neighborhood
Page 5 Neighborhood Mortality Rates Compared to City of Cincinnati Rate
Page 6 Top 10 Causes of Death in Cincinnati and Crude Mortality Rates for Cincinnati and USA
Pare 7 Heart Disease: Neighborhood Mortality Rates Compared to City of Cincinnati Rate
Page 8 Cancer Deaths: Neighborhood Mortality Rates Compared to City of Cincinnati Rate
Page 9 Stroke Deaths: Neighborhood Mortality Rates Compared to City of Cincinnati Rate
Acknowledgements
A special thank you to Dan Laughlin and Matt Malinak from Xavier University’s XU Health Services Administration Graduate Program for their tireless work and extra effort on this project. Thanks also to Dr. Edmond Hooker, the faculty mentor at Xavier University for this project.
The City of Cincinnati Planning Department
All data from 2001-2007
Executive Summary
Cincinnati Health Department
Neighborhood Mortality Data Project
The results of an unprecedented 2.5 year effort has produced the leading causes of death
for Cincinnati and death rates in each of the 48 neighborhood groupings, by age, gender
and race. The information includes the top 10 causes of death for the City. The top 10 causes
of death for neighborhoods will be released shortly. This data has never been available before
in Cincinnati. The information will be used to improve the quality, and extend the life of
Cincinnatians.
The data was made available to the public at an announcement on Mar 30, 2011 at the
Cincinnati Health Department, 3101 Burnet Avenue, 45229. In addition initial data is now
available on the Health Departments website www.cincinnati-oh.gov.
The data will be used and analyzed by City of Cincinnati planners for the development of
the City’s Comprehensive Plan, as well as by community members, academics, researchers,
public health professionals, social service agencies, community councils, health councils,
hospitals, media, grant writers and anyone interested in understanding or working with
issues of health, illness and disparity in Cincinnati.
The project was led by the Cincinnati Health Department and included close collaboration
with students from Xavier University’s Master of Health Administration program. The
methodology adhered to strict academic research guidelines and research practices
including review by the Health Department and Xavier’s independent Institutional Review
Boards*. The initial database and each step of the analysis were cross-checked by multiple
researchers to assure a strong final product.
1
The best way to improve the health of communities is through local action. The Health
Department will work with community agencies and partners to consider the implications
of these findings and to develop long term plans to improve health outcomes in
Cincinnati. This will include:
• Working with community councils to establish or support existing wellness
committees focusing on the implications for specific neighborhoods and the region.
• Working with City staff on the ongoing development of the Cincinnati
Comprehensive Plan by considering the impact of the built environment, placement
of industry, walk and bike ability of communities etc.
• Partner with hospitals, academia and other civic organizations on ways to best turn
this data and further research into positive health outcomes.
The release of this data represents the completion of the first phase of the project. In
the coming months the Health Department will continue to analyze the data. Regular
public release of additional analyses will take place as the information becomes available.
Further plans are in place to develop a query-able dataset which will be available
online for use by researchers, residents and anyone else interested in improving health
outcomes.
2
3
*Methodology
Death certificates filed by the Cincinnati Health Department’s Vital Records office from
2001 to 2007 were compiled and assigned a census tract by the Ohio Department of
Health. The research team was able to assign all deaths to their respective residential
neighborhood using the Cincinnati Department of City Planning’s definition by census
tract of 48 statistical neighborhood approximations. The number of people living in each
neighborhood in 2004 was estimated using data from the 2000 census and an adjustment
methodology provided by the Department of City Planning. Standard formulas for
calculating overall-, age-, race- and sex-specific (crude) death rates were utilized. Age-
adjusted death rates were also calculated for each neighborhood, based on the Cincinnati
population. The National Center for Health Statistics categorizations of underlying causes
of death (50 major causes, 113 detailed causes) were used to develop the leading causes
of death at the city and neighborhood levels.
A more detailed methodology is available upon request by calling 357-7482.
4
Neighborhood Crude M
ortality Rates Compared to City of Cincinnati Rate
(2001‐2007)
‐100%
‐80%
‐60%
‐40%
‐20% 0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
AvondaleBond HillCalifornia
Camp WashingtonCarthage
CBD‐RiverfrontClifton
College HillCorryvilleEast End
East Price HillEast Walnut Hills
EvanstonEvanston‐East Walnut Hills
Fairview‐Clifton HeightsFay AptsHartwell
Hyde ParkKennedy Heights
LinwoodLower Price Hill
MadisonvilleMt Adams
Mt AiryMt Auburn
Mt Lookout Mt Lookout‐Columbia Tusculum
Mt WashingtonNorth Avondale ‐ Paddock Hills
North Fairmount ‐ EnglishNorthside
OakleyOver‐The‐RhinePleasant Ridge
QueensgateRiverside‐Sayler Park
RoselawnSayler Park
Sedamsville‐RiversideSouth Cumminsville‐Millvale
South FairmountSpring Grove VillageUniversity Heights
Walnut HillsWest End
West Price HillWestwood
Winton Hills
% Difference from Cincinnati Rate
5
To
p 1
0 C
au
ses o
f De
ath
in C
incin
na
ti, 20
01
-20
07
C
rud
e M
orta
lity Ra
tes fo
r Cin
cinn
ati a
nd
US
A
Cause
of D
eath
Cincinnati
(death
s/100,0
00)
USA
(death
s/100,0
00)
1H
eart D
isease
265.2
204.3
2C
ance
rs230.8
186.6
3C
ere
bro
vascu
lar D
isease
s71.1
45.1
4C
hro
nic L
ow
er R
esp
irato
ry Dise
ase
s56.1
42.4
5D
iabete
s (Sugar)
44.8
23.7
6A
ccidents
42.6
41.0
7A
lzheim
er’s D
isease
29.8
24.7
8N
ephritis/N
ephro
sis (Kid
ney D
isease
)23.2
15.4
9In
fluenza
and P
neum
onia
21.9
17.5
10
Assa
ult (H
om
icide)
19.1
6.1
6
Cause of D
eath C
incinnati (deaths/100,000)
2001-2007
Ohio L
arge Metro
(deaths/100,000)1999-2007
Ohio
(deaths/100,000)1999-2007
USA
(deaths/100,000)2007
1 H
eart Disease
265.2 269.9
265.9 204.3
2 C
ancer 230.8
224.8 224.8
186.6
3 C
erebrovascular Disease (Stroke)
71.1 56.7
58.4 45.1
4 C
hronic Lower R
espiratory Disease
56.1 46.4
53.2 42.4
5 D
iabetes (Sugar) 44.8
29.8 32.7
23.7
6 A
ccidents 42.6
31.4 29.2
41.0
7 A
lzheimer’s D
isease 29.8
24.5 25.2
24.7
8 N
ephritis/Nephrosis (K
idney Disease)
23.2 18.0
16.4 15.4
9 Influenza and Pneum
onia 21.9
18.9 20.2
17.5
10 A
ssault (Hom
icide) 19.1
8.2 4.8
6.1
A
LL CA
USES
1095.3 949.9
946.2 803.6
Ohio and O
hio large metropolitan rates retrieved from
CD
C W
onder U
.S. rates retrieved from C
DC
National V
ital Statistics Reports
‐120%
‐100%
‐80%
‐60%
‐40%
‐20% 0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
AvondaleBond HillCalifornia
Camp WashingtonCarthage
CBD‐RiverfrontClifton
College HillCorryvilleEast End
East Price HillEast Walnut Hills
EvanstonEvanston‐East Walnut Hills
Fairview‐Clifton HeightsFay AptsHartwell
Hyde ParkKennedy Heights
LinwoodLower Price Hill
MadisonvilleMt Adams
Mt AiryMt Auburn
Mt Lookout Mt Lookout‐Columbia Tusculum
Mt WashingtonNorth Avondale ‐ Paddock Hills
North Fairmont ‐ EnglishNorthside
OakleyOver‐The‐RhinePleasant Ridge
QueensgateRiverside‐Sayler Park
RoselawnSayler Park
Sedamsville‐RiversideSouth Cumminsville‐Millvale
South FairmontSpring Grove VillageUniversity Heights
Walnut HillsWest End
West Price HillWestwoodWinton Hills
% Difference from Cincinnati Rate
Heart D
isease
: Neig
hborh
ood M
orta
lity Rate
s Com
pare
d to
C
ity of C
incin
nati R
ate
(2001-2
007)
7
‐100%
‐80%
‐60%
‐40%
‐20% 0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
AvondaleBond HillCalifornia
Camp WashingtonCarthage
CBD‐RiverfrontClifton
College HillCorryvilleEast End
East Price HillEast Walnut Hills
EvanstonEvanston‐East Walnut Hills
Fairview‐Clifton HeightsFay AptsHartwell
Hyde ParkKennedy Heights
LinwoodLower Price Hill
MadisonvilleMt Adams
Mt AiryMt Auburn
Mt Lookout Mt Lookout‐Columbia Tusculum
Mt WashingtonNorth Avondale ‐ Paddock Hills
North Fairmont ‐ EnglishNorthside
OakleyOver‐The‐RhinePleasant Ridge
QueensgateRiverside‐Sayler Park
RoselawnSayler Park
Sedamsville‐RiversideSouth Cumminsville‐Millvale
South FairmontSpring Grove VillageUniversity Heights
Walnut HillsWest End
West Price HillWestwoodWinton Hills
% Difference from Cincinnati RateC
ance
r Death
s: Neig
hborh
ood M
orta
lity Rate
s Com
pare
d to
C
ity of C
incin
nati R
ate
(2001-2
007)
8
‐150%
‐100%
‐50% 0%
50%
100%
150%
200%
250%
300%
AvondaleBond HillCalifornia
Camp WashingtonCarthage
CBD‐RiverfrontClifton
College HillCorryvilleEast End
East Price HillEast Walnut Hills
EvanstonEvanston‐East Walnut Hills
Fairview‐Clifton HeightsFay AptsHartwell
Hyde ParkKennedy Heights
LinwoodLower Price Hill
MadisonvilleMt Adams
Mt AiryMt Auburn
Mt Lookout Mt Lookout‐Columbia Tusculum
Mt WashingtonNorth Avondale ‐ Paddock Hills
North Fairmont ‐ EnglishNorthside
OakleyOver‐The‐RhinePleasant Ridge
QueensgateRiverside‐Sayler Park
RoselawnSayler Park
Sedamsville‐RiversideSouth Cumminsville‐Millvale
South FairmontSpring Grove VillageUniversity Heights
Walnut HillsWest End
West Price HillWestwoodWinton Hills
% Difference from Cincinnati Rate
Stro
ke D
eath
s: Neig
hborh
ood M
orta
lity Rate
s Com
pare
d to
C
ity of C
incin
nati R
ate
(2001-2
007)
9
3101 Burnet AvenueCincinnati OH, 45229
For more information:
• Contact the Cincinnati Health Department at 513-357-7200
• www.cincinnati-oh.gov
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